An appointment with hazel: the “Manx” birch

Our good friend Mr Allen has been doing some research. He’s kindly written up his findings on matters of great import, and has generously allowed us to share them here. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present the most fascinating exploration of the history of the Manx Birch:

The final official administration of the Manx Birch was in January 1976. Until this time, judicial corporal punishment in the Isle of Man included a fearsome implement made from 4 or 5 straight but whippy hazel rods of about 6mm in diameter tapering to 4mm at the tips. The rods are bound together at the handle and middle section to form a “Manx Birch”. For maximum efficacy, fresh rods are cut and splayed out at the business end and administered on the bared bottom of offenders with maximum possible force. The bottom feels five stingy individual fingers of the birch not dissimilar to multiple thin dragon canes all landing at once. This burning pain builds throughout the administration and remains hours after the birch has been administered.

Officially, this implement weighed a maximum 9oz and 40″ overall length. Any heavier, it could be easier to take, just bruising the bottom. The thin and whippy implement bites in and assures a well striped and welted bottom. Remarkably it leaves minimal damage to the skin and at most minor surface grazes.

For those interested in enacting this judicial administration, hazel rods can be obtained from commercial woodland supplies where suckers are coppiced from hazel trees. Collected, expect to pay up to 50p for each selected rod. As hazel rods cannot be cleaned, make sure that sufficient are purchased for each play partner.

Assembly is simple. Wind masking tape around the handle and midsection to tightly bind the rods together. If the rods are bunched together at the business end, then the sensation is more of a thud and not too severe. Binding the rods together so that they splay out as fingers at the business end, the rods become incredibly effective. Ideally, fresh rods should be used and soaked a few days before use making them supple and springy. A few moments spent sanding down or removing the small nodules around the business end will also help minimise damage in play, something the offenders were not afforded when this implement was used in an official capacity.

Mr Allen

March 2011

That’s the theory. I should add that the practical followed a couple of weeks ago, in which I had the pleasure of joining Mr Allen as we re-introduced the authentic Manx birch for disciplinary purposes.

The rods are much heavier that the so-called Manx birches I’ve used in the past (made from, of all things, birch – rather than hazel, as I now know to be more historically accurate) – and rather less flexible.

The brave girls on the receiving end were Cate Stoker and Catherine: six strokes from each of us for each of them, followed by an additional dozen for Cate – the initial flogging having broken Cath’s skin a little to the point at which we were concerned to proceed further. It produced a delightful reaction from each of them.

The hard hand tawsings that rounded of the session for each of them, trialling Mr Allen’s latest Lochgelly purchases, were, of course, entirely cruel – and all the more fun for that!

Having now experimented once with this wonderful – if somewhat scary – implement, and having been generously given more to take away for future use, I need to go away and practice my birching technique on a few cushions; I do rather like the idea of a fuller judicial scene, which is scheduled to take place before very long!

Huge thanks to Mr Allen for sharing the fruits of his research – and also, of course, to both of the girls for playing!